Trips

Jamaica (2016)

This 5-day trip was for a destination wedding.  While not much in terms of adventure travel, it did provide a sample of Caribbean resort life.  Oddly, this was also my first trip to a Caribbean nation.

Brazil (2015)

This 2 week trip included a trip to Recife, the largest metro area in northern Brazil, then a work related trip to the nations capital, Brasilia.  This was my 3-month old daughter's first trip out of the U.S.!

Middle East and Eastern Europe (2014)

This 17-day, 7 country trip was intense!  It included 7 different languages, borders, and currancies.  Visited a friend temporarily working in Azerbaijan, then hit up multiple countries while Air B&B'ing it the whole way.

Fiji and New Zealand (2013)

A two-week honeymoon on a small Fijian island, followed by the north and south islands of New Zealand.

Canada (2012)

Nine day Canadian roadtrip, starting in Rochester, NY, then onto Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, and ending in Burlington, VT.  

Africa (2012)

Visited Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Pemba in Mozambique, Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania, and had a brief layover in Zurich.  Amazingly, no African safari's on this 16-day excursion.

Iceland (2011)

Visited Iceland with a group of friends during the annual Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.  Primarily stayed in the Reykjavik area during this short 5 day trip.

South America (2010)

Visited Lima, Cusco, and made the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu in Peru, then headed north to Bogota and Cartegena in Columbia on this 2 1/2 week journey.

Puerto Rico (2009):  2009's adventure trip to Puerto Rico included visits to San Juan, Culebra, and caving in Rio Camuy, the third largest cave system in the world.

Puerto Rico (2008):  2008's adventure trip to Puerto Rico included visits to San Juan, Vieques, and canyoning near El Yunque, the only rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system.
Mexico (2009)
I visited a friend who moved to Monterey earlier in the year.  Places visited included Monterey, San Pedro, Matacanes, Leon, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta.
Europe (2009)
I visited friends in London, Paris, and Prague, and took a bike tour in every city on this whirlwind week long trip.

Austraila (2008)

My first big solo trip abroad involved couchsurfing throughout Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Cairnes, and Queensland.  I also traveled with a friend from Sydney, and went scuba diving along the Great Barrier Reef.

Panama (2005)

I visited my friend in the Peace Corps, and had Thanksgiving with about 80 Peace Corps Panama volunteers in a remote mountain village.

Paris Working Holiday (2005)

I worked as a bike and segway tour guide in Paris for 6 1/2 months.  The tours were in English...and my once limited French language abilities have disparu.  :-(  During my time off I traveled extensively, visiting northern France, England (twice), the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, and Sweeden.  Une expérience d'une vie!

Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA (2004)

Yes, I know it's not a foreign country, but I led an international volunteer workcamp in Fort Wayne for 21 days.  Visitors came from Austria, France, South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.  We worked as volunteers at Friends of the Third World, a small non-profit committed to combating poverty and community outreach.  Leading a workcamp was a fitting conclusion to 4 consecutive years of volunteering abroad.

Switzerland (2004)
2004's international volunteer workcamp was in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.  During this 11-day workcamp my international group helped refurbish an educational hiking trail in the Swiss Alps, which featured Globi, Switzerland's version of Mickey Mouse.  Before and after the workcamp I explored London, Paris, and Milan.

Spain (2004)

I spent most of my first trip to Europe in Spain.  I took language lessons in Barcelona and Sevilla, and traveled to Figueres, Montserrat, Cordoba, Granada, and Malaga.  I also traveled to Toulouse and Carcassonne in Southern France, the tiny country of Andorra, and the British Dependency Gibraltar.

 India (2003)
2003's international volunteer workcamp was located in rural southern India.  During this 17-day workcamp my international group conducted community outreach and continued progress on setting up a regional orphanage & permanent volunteer center.  Before and after the workcamp, I explored Bangalore and Mysore (the largest cities in the region).  This trip has it's own website here!

Honduras (2003)

I became a lifetime certified scuba diver on the tropical island of Roatan, 30 miles of the coast of Honduras.  The island sits on the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest reef in the world.

Thailand (2002)
2002's international volunteer workcamp was located in rural southern Thailand.  During the 14-day workcamp my international group worked as community outreach volunteers for the Khao Yai National Park conservation project in and around the park.  Before and after the workcamp, I explored the city of Bangkok.  This adventure has it's on web site here!

Mexico (2001)

My trip included a brief return to Cuernavaca (where I studied abroad in 1998), followed by 5 days of living it up in Acapulco.

El Salvador (2001)

My first volunteer experience abroad.  I spent 5 days volunteering at a makeshift school at an earthquake relief camp just outside San Salvado.  Then I spent another 2 days in the countryside tagging along with two other service project groups.

El Salvador (2000)

This two week social work class took me to San Salvador, and the countryside.  My group (of which I was the only male and non-social work major) explored first hand the various social programs employed by this poor, war-torn Latin American country.

Puerto Rico (1999)

My first trip to Puerto Rico involved plenty of youthful exuberance.

Mexico (1998)

My first trip to another country involved a 5-week study abroad program consisting of intensive Spanish lessons as well as sociology lectures and field trips.  I lived with a host family in beautiful Cuernavaca (about 90 miles south of Mexico City), and ventured into the surrounding area on numerous day trips.